From Cotton to T-Shirt

July 1, 2003
Gr 1-2-Overly simplified information results in texts with little content and misleading ideas. Cotton ignores the plant's growth process and begins with the bolls ready to be picked. Spinning is poorly described in two short sentences. "Thread" is defined as "thin ropes," but the combing of the cotton is not elaborated upon. The three sentences concerning the dye process leave readers to wonder whether wet fabric is loaded directly onto a truck for shipment to a garment factory, and possibly to assume that T-shirts are the only items made of cotton. In Corn, soil preparation is poorly described. The text refers to the plow being used to turn the soil, but the implement shown on the facing page is not a plow. Row planters do not make holes in the field as stated here, and the lone sentence about insect damage is vague. The book's conclusion may lead readers to assume that corn is only for human consumption. Both titles contain average-quality color illustrations.-Eldon Younce, Harper Elementary School, KS

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